Poor Joan has been suffering through the cinema ever since Carl Theodore Dreyer's The Passion of Joan of Arc in 1928, and Prudhomme's stern, battle-ready glare gives it fresh power.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Serra, a cinematic character himself who parades around the festival circuit in dark shades making deadpan declarations, makes movies that dare you to operate on his wavelength - and then works overtime to make that investment worthwhile.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Pribar's subtle movie eschews sentimentalism for a patient and inquisitive character study, mining familiar territory and rejuvenating it with emotional impact that worms its way into the material from unexpected places.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

The Beastie Boys were genuine artists who transcended the limits of any specific musical genre and invented one of their own. "Beastie Boys Story" provides a charming and poignant explanation for how they pulled it off.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

With that much ambition on display, the movie leaves an impression reminiscent of the high-minded "Key & Peele" sketches that paved the way for Jordan Peele to become a master filmmaker.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Yang's drama taps into the personal connotations of the immigrant experience by burrowing inside it, evoking the excitement of new opportunities in tandem with the cold reality that bubbles up in their wake.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

While it doesn't exactly bring new information to the table, the movie provides a welcome breakdown of the dramatic impact that gerrymandering has across American society whenever election season comes around.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

The movie provokes the wonder and terror of what it means to live in a world where every resolution brings new questions, and the prospects that a happy ending might carry the greatest risk of all.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"Gunda" may be a meditational slow-burn, but as it unfurls its immersive audiovisual tapestry it hovers between non-fiction observation and lyrical insight, and to that end feels like an advancement of the nature documentary form.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

The narrative begins to strain from this focused scenario as the character follows her new boyfriend into the water... Still, there's much to appreciate about the textures of his perceptive screenplay in small doses.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

While "The Salt of Tears" threatens to devolve into a sympathetic male gaze with each new turn, Garrel actually manages to burrow within those boundaries and deconstruct their flaws from the inside out.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"Minamata" tells a bracing story of corporate malfeasance and bracing advocacy for the underclass, but even the occasional poignant observation can't salvage a movie trying this hard to tug every heartstring at its disposal.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"The Intruder" generates so much intrigue to maintain a breathless pace and unsettling atmosphere at every turn, with Rives' layered performance fusing the strange trip together.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Oda's script struggles to make this dynamic as compelling as the ethereal world he establishes upfront... Nevertheless, the movie provides a remarkable showcase for Duke's range. &dash; indieWire - EDIT

To that end, it's a smart and sturdy behind-the-scenes look at a high-profile #MeToo drama, and succeeds at scrutinizing the conundrum facing countless women still afraid of speaking out.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"The 40-Year-Old Version" has a fascinating meta quality lurking just beneath its playful surface, as it documents a creative crisis on the brink of a solution - and, with this charming first feature, finds that solution with its very existence.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"Boys State" diagnoses the essence of that divide by showing the extent that political biases inform the status quo, and how that can lead to campaign strategies devoid of any agenda aside from maintaining power.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Social-media feeds can embolden subjective observations that don't tell the whole truth, but that's exactly what makes this particular example such a perfect fit for its adventurous director.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Fogel assembles a sturdy compendium of talking heads to explain how Khashoggi managed to speak truth to power for so long, and why his fate reverberates for other Saudis who share his sentiments.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"Bad Hair" has plenty to say - about the plight of black women in particular and blackness in popular culture in general - but his movie can't settle on laughing off the conflict or regarding it with dread.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

Slithering into the potential for a lo-fi Blumhouse shockfest, "A Fall From Grace" eschews logic for one jarring reveal after another, so that even Hitchcock would admire Perry's gall.&dash; indieWire - EDIT

"Bombshell" is a lurid, cartoonish romp, marred by rough and sometimes overbearing flourishes, but not without a tragicomic soul. That alone makes it a genuine movie of the moment.&dash; indieWire - EDIT